On May 1, news broke that Ryan Garcia tested positive for a banned substance before his fight with Devin Haney on April 19, and after his victory against him on April 20. The report says he tested twice for the drug ostarine, known as enobosarm, which mimics the effects of testosterone.
After the news, Haney released a statement on the matter, saying that Garcia cheated and disrespected the fans.
“We learned about this situation not too long ago and it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans, and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice,” Haney said in a statement posted on his social media. “I’ve always been an advocate for clean fighting … Ryan owes the fans an apology, and by his recent tweet, he still thinks this is a joke. We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. We don’t play boxing.
“This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up. People die in the sport. This is not a joking matter.”
Garcia went to X and posted a short video about the allegation that he used a banned substance before the fight.
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” Garcia said. “Why didn’t they come out with this before the fight if they found it before? Why would they let me step into the ring as a cheater, I come out with the victory, and then they post this? These are people that are trying to attack me for whatever reason.
“I’ve never taken a steroid in my life, I don’t even know where to get steroids. I barely take supplements. … Big lies, I beat his a–.”
Fake news like if I was Donald trump pic.twitter.com/PVg5EW7yLd
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024